HEART WHISPERS [Lisrene]

다섯째

The next day, Lisa came to visit. Her hyped personality highly contrasted with my gloomy appearance. Despite going to bed very early the previous night, I couldn't sleep well. I kept tossing and turning until even Leo marked me as a lost cause and left for the comfort of the sofa. At least there nobody could squish him to death like I had nearly done several times in my restless sleep. Consequently, I had dark bags under my eyes and a foul mood.

Afraid she might step on a landmine and get herself thrown out, Lisa was unusually quiet during lunch. Noticing her abnormal behavior made me feel slightly guilty. Surely, it wasn't easy for a chatty girl like her to keep herself quiet like this. Thus, I decided to tell her about Joy's news regarding the movie production. Of course, as my editor, she already knew about the movie being under discussion, but the part where I was supposed to be involved in the initial planning process was a huge surprise.

"Wow! Irene-ssi, that is really awesome!" She cried out in excitement.

"What is so awesome about having to meet a bunch of strangers when I can hardly tolerate one human being such as yourself?!" I threw at her in a bitingly cold tone.

"True, having to interact with so many people might be an inconvenience, especially with your circumstances." Lisa said, slightly deflated. However, she managed to bounce back the next instant with an even greater enthusiasm. "But Irene-ssi, think about it this way. If you take part in the initial planning, you can make sure that your story will be brought to life exactly the way you wanted. Isn't that amazing?"

Well, she was right about that. Leaving aside my personal issues, being able to take part in the character design, casting, choosing the best locations for filming and all other little details was indeed something to be excited about. Furthermore, there wasn't every day that a big corporation and production company allows an author, who doesn't know squat about movie production, to take part in their planning activities.

"Well, at least you are excited for the both of us." I sighed deeply.

"Then what are you going to do, Irene-ssi?" Lisa asked, her eyes blazing with enthusiasm.

"What else can I do? I will accept their condition and take part in the initial planning phase. After all, I really want to see my story being brought to life."

"En! Irene-ssi, all your stories deserve to be brought to the big screen." Lisa jumped up from her seat and grabbed both my hands in hers.

"Now, you s-stop right there. I d-don't think I can do this k-kind of thing for every one of my books." I stuttered slightly, while trying to pull my hands from her grasp. But she stubbornly kept holding them tightly, refusing to let go no matter what. Then, she pulled me closer and our noses almost bumped against each other.

"Irene-ssi, since you can hear the thoughts of those you touch, then you know that I am now being very honest when I say that your books are amazing. They deserve to be brought to life so that more and more people read them. Therefore, you will do great and the movie will be a resounding success."

Hearing this fervent declaration, I could only gape at her in astonishment. Truly, she was one of a kind; honest, blunt and passionate about everything she says and does. And like always, there was silence inside my mind. Her fingers warmed my hands, but her thoughts remained silent. Did that mean she really meant what she said or was there really another reason why I couldn't hear her? For the first time, I found myself wanting to hear something from her inner thoughts; anything would do, whether it was good or bad. Oddly enough, it made me confused and sad that she was the only person I couldn't hear.